Sermon

God and godliness

May 24, 2026 Buccleuch Free Church - Sermons

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And ask all of these things in the matchless name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
God and godliness. God and godliness.
Those are the two things that John wants us to know about in these 14 verses.
But this evening, I'm going to divide those two points into three points.
So the first two points have to do with God, and the last point has to do with godliness.
The first two has to do with God, and the last has to do with godliness.
So our first point this evening is this.
Where does God's love come from?
Where does God's love come from?
Or, put properly, the first point is the genesis of God's love.
The genesis of God's love. Where does God's love come from?
And the answer to that is that it comes from God.
God's love originates in God. It comes from God.
And the second point this evening is the gift of God's love.
What does God give us to show that he loves us?
What does he give us to show that he loves us?
And the answer to that question is that he gives us himself.
God gives us himself.
So the first point, the genesis of God's love is God.
The gift of God's love, the second point, is God.
And thirdly, the goal of God's love.
Why does God love us?
He loves us so that we may be lovely.
God loves us so that we may be godly.
The goal of God's love is godliness.
So firstly, the genesis of God's love.
Where does God's love come from?
In verse 7, he calls us, he invites us, he calls us beloved.
In verse 7, he says, beloved, let us love one another.
For love is from God.
Love is from God, he says.
If you were to walk down the street in Edinburgh
and ask someone on the street what love is
and where it comes from,
they may give you various answers.
They may give you, they may say that love is a feeling.
They may say that love is a commitment.
They may say that love is an intimate relationship.
They may say that love is an orientation.
They may say that it is hard to define.
But that you will know it when you see it.
But John doesn't start off like that.
He says love is from God.
And in verse 8, he says anyone who does not love does not know God.
And here is the programmatic statement.
He says God is love.
God is love.
John doesn't say love is love or love is God.
He says God is love.
Have you thought about that?
Love is not just a part of who God is.
It is all of him.
God's love, in fact, permeates all of his attributes.
So God's holiness is a loving holiness.
And his love is a holy love.
In other words, everything that God does in this world
is out of his love.
Because that's who he is.
And because God is an infinite God,
God's love is also as infinite as he is.
A fish could soon drink the ocean dry
before we can exhaust the love of God.
Because God is love.
And he is infinite.
And so is his love.
His love is infinite.
So you go in.
You go in to God and he is love.
You go in to God and he is love.
Because he's infinite.
You go in and you go in.
He is love.
You go in and in and in.
He is love.
Because our God is love.
He is love.
He is infinitely love.
And he is not just love.
He's a Trinitarian God, we know.
We confessed this evening.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
Because he is a Trinitarian God.
Love existed before the world was made.
And one theologian said that God the Father is the lover.
And God the Son is the beloved.
And God the Spirit is the love between God the Father and the Son.
And God the Son.
Maybe it is hard to put our minds together to grasp that truth.
But it is plain that the love that we experience began before time began.
It began in the Trinity.
There was perfect communion between God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
And there was perfect unity.
There still is perfect love and perfect unity.
And out of that love he created this world.
That love bursts out.
And we see it in our own loves, in our families, in our friendships.
We see it in the church especially.
Which John reminds us in verse 10.
This is love.
Not that we have loved God.
But that he loved us.
And sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
We did not love God.
God loved us.
God didn't look through the tunnel of time and say that I love this man or this woman.
Because he is righteous.
God loved us.
God always precedes all love for him.
Before we were even made, God set his love, his affection on us, the Bible says.
Before the creation of the world, the triune God who created the cosmos, he loved you.
He loved you before the stars were made.
so the scriptures speak about God's love as his abundant goodness his loving kindness
his husbandly love for his bride his chesed love God's love is is not a fickle passion like
all loves are often it's a steadfast love it's an unchanging love as God himself is
do you know God's love if you are a believer this evening you have been loved by God and you know
that love but if you are not a believer you can come to know this love by looking at the gift of
God's love his son you can ponder the love of God and the great heights of it as John invites us to
this evening but you may ask like all of us do from time to time if we have been loved by such a great
love what what is the tangible proof of that love because if we have been Christians for for for
just five minutes we know that our experiences often contradict what we read in the Bible we we face
suffering we we put our sins to death we fight our sins and sometimes we wonder if God truly loves us
because our experience says otherwise but John wants us to know that yes this love of God that begins in
God is actually also poured out and given to us and that's our second point what is the gift of God's
love what does God give us to show that he loves us he does give us all kinds of benefits but ultimately
though those benefits may come and go depending on the seasons of life we are in don't they
God's gifts are the earthly gifts that we enjoy they come and go beautiful marriages
come to an end because the spouse died our sin gets in the way but ultimately though God gives us himself
he gives us himself to know so that we may know rather that we are indeed loved by God and because God is a
Trinitarian God he gives us his Trinitarian self he gives us his triune being he gives us his son
verse 9 in this is the love of God was made manifest among us that God sent his only son into the world
so that we might live through him we all died in Adam like Adam rebelled we all rebelled in Adam
we left our maker but God sent his son into the world into this this broken world have you read the news
the brokenness the brokenness we see shootings here shootings there assaults here and assaults there
brokenness everywhere even within the church but God sends his son into the world this world that we inhabit
God sent his son so that we might live through him and verse 10 verse 14
and we have seen and testify that the father has sent his son to be the savior of the world he is the savior of the world and verse 10 towards the end of verse 10 he said but that in this is love not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the the propitiation for our sins what is propitiation propitiation is a is a fancy word that captures a
a fundamental reality about who we are we are as humans because of our fall because of our rebellion we stand condemned and we are under the right judgment of God because of our sins
and Jesus Christ not only did he live for us but he also died in our place did not only did he keep the commandments of God perfectly on our behalf but he also took the punishment for our law breaking
he absorbed the wrath of God on the cross that is propitiation he was sent to be the propitiation for our sins
verse 14 again the father sent his son to be the savior of the world so Jesus Christ comes into the world to redeem people from all tribes tongue and nation now and he
he had been doing that from Adam to the last person who will ever be saved and he came for you
Jesus Christ came for you he came for you yes
he came to redeem you from your sin he came to give himself up for you so the gift of God's love in the person of his son and
and in verse 13 in the person of his spirit
verse 13 says by this we know that we abide in him and he in us
because he has
given us
of his spirit
he has given us of his spirit
by this we know
that we remain in him
the assurance that we have
as believers of our standing before God
the confidence that we have before our standing before God
that is from the Holy Spirit but even before that the reason we
we confess Jesus Christ as Lord and the reason we can understand a
hard passage like this it is because
the Holy Spirit God the Holy Spirit
has opened up our eyes to see and our ears to hear
and our hearts to love he
has been doing a work among us and
the Holy Spirit living in us is God's guarantee
that he has given himself to us
so the gift of his son
the gift of his spirit in turning our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh
and thirdly the gift of the father
in verses 15 and 16
whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God
God abides in him
and he in God
God sends the Holy Spirit to open up our eyes
so that we may behold
the savior and savor him
and he does that
and then
he brings us to himself
so that we may
abide
in him
and he in God
and we in God
what a wonderful truth that is
God abides in us
God
remains in us
God
resides in us
God lives in us
the one
who believes in God's love
remains
in that love
and God remains in him
we participate
in
God
we live in God
like a
sparrow
that lives
in her nest
we live in God
do you know yourself
to be
given
that gift
the gift of God himself
the father
the son
and the Holy Spirit
and we share
in
in God
even as we
live our earthly lives
even as we fall
and falter
and
even as we get up
and
straighten up
and
and follow
our Lord Jesus Christ
as strangers
and aliens
even in our own
homelands
we participate
in
in God
the three
in one
the same love
that
existed before
time
was made
before the world
was made
reached out
into creation
reached out
into the
the messiness
of our lives
to the
to the
murkiness
of sin
itself
reaches down
and brings us
back
to himself
love reaches
down
love lifts
us up
back to love
back to God
love of God
the father
love of God
the son
love of God
the spirit
given to
us
so
secondly
the gift
of God's
love
is
God
it is
God
so the
genesis
of God's
love
where does
God's
love
come from
it comes
from God
himself
the gift
of God's
love
what does
God give
to show
us
that he
loves us
he gives
us
the greatest
gift
imaginable
he gives
us
himself
his
triune
self
and thirdly
and lastly
the goal
of God's
love
the goal
of God's
love
it is
godliness
it is godliness
I could have easily
said that
the goal of God's
love is God
because God
created us
and we fell
and he redeemed
us and he's
slowly
sanctifying us
slowly
and he's
bringing
us to
himself
so in
one sense
the goal
of God's
love is
God
he gets
the glory
and we
return to
him
but in
this life
he calls
us to be
godly
godlike
he wants
us to hear
he wants
us to
believe
and he
wants us
to do
and in
verse 17
we are told
of these
things
verse 17
through 21
we are reminded
that we are
called
to be
godly
verse 17
by this
is love
perfected
with us
so that we
may have
confidence
for the
day of
judgment
because as
he is
so also
are we
in this
world
god is
reminded
us of
his great
love
he has
reminded
us of
his great
person
and the
love by
which he
has loved
us
and as
we love
god with
our mind
in that
way
thinking about
who he
is in
himself
and how
he has
loved
us
god's
love is
perfected
in us
and that
ongoing
perfection
actually gives
us confidence
to stand
before god's
throne
after all
this book
is written
to give us
christian
confidence
right
christian
assurance
and out
of that
assurance
we ought
to love
one another
in verse 18
there is no
fear in
love but
perfect love
casts out
fear for
fear has to
do with
punishment
and whoever
fears has
not been
perfected
in love
what does
that mean
it means
that because
god has
loved you
in this
way
in giving
himself
he has
actually
removed
all fear
that you
may have
of him
as a
judge
you don't
look at
god as
a judge
anymore
because he
has loved
you
he's your
father
he's your
friend
he's your
comforter
fear
so fear
is out
the window
and the
fear that
keeps you
chained
to yourself
it's gone
now
those chains
are broken
now and
now you can
actually love
people
without
thinking what
you can get
from them
it drives
out fear
verse 18
and because
jesus took
our punishment
we don't
have to
fear
anymore
when that
fear is
gone
it makes
us fearless
to love
others
and john
tells us
in verse
20
that
that
that we
can be
hypocrites
sometimes
if anyone
says i love
god and hates
his brother
he's a liar
for he who
does not
love his
brother whom
he has
seen
god
whom he
has seen
cannot
love god
whom he
has not
seen
you can
talk about
trinitarian
theology
all day
long
talk about
the love
of god
that existed
before time
began
and still
not love
your brother
he says
we have to
be called
out of our
hypocrisy
we ought to
love our
brothers and
sisters
verse 21
this is the
commandment
that we have
from him
whoever loves
god
must also
love
his brother
if we have
been loved
by god
and if
if that
love actually
does come
from god
the father
god the
son
and god
the holy
spirit
and that
love has
actually given
you god
the father
god the
son and
god the
holy spirit
then you
are to
love the
people that
you see
the people
that you
can touch
tangibly
they say
that edinburgh
is one of
the best
cities
to live
in the
world
and i
i agree
with that
i've only
lived here
for eight
months
and it
is such a
beautiful
city and
today was
a great
reminder
that it
is actually
a wonderful
city to
live in
but
i was looking
up a survey
and it
said about
one-fifth
of the
adults
in edinburgh
feel lonely
one-fifth
that's about
one in five
person
one in five
people
edinburgh
all the
people
and this
loneliness
also
affects the
youngest
populations
of the
city
so the
oldest and
the youngest
they're
affected by
loneliness
how can
you love
your lonely
brother and
sister in
their old
age and
in their
young age
how can
you love
your neighbor
your closest
neighbor
for those of
us who are
married our
closest neighbors
are our
husbands
our wives
our children
how do we
love them
how do we
love them
and i think
god's word
actually gives
us a framework
for how we
can love
them you
remember
god's
commandments
the ten
commandments
are actually
about loving
god and
loving
our neighbor
the first
four
commandments
are about
how we
can love
god
and the
last six
commandments
are about
how we
can love
our neighbor
so god
actually
doesn't leave
us without
help
his commandments
the last
six commandments
of the ten
commandments
give us a
rubric for
how we can
love people
in a tangible
way
so i'm
going to go
to exodus
20
and just
read the
last six
commandments
this is
the fifth
commandment
exodus 20

Exodus 20:12
verse 12
honor your
father and
mother
honor your
father and
mother
that's a way
to love
people
do you
honor your
parents
do you
honor the
leaders in
your church
do you
honor authority
do you
honor all
the people
in your
church
that's one
way to love
people
verse 13
you shall
not
murder
that's a
negative
commandment
what is
the positive
of it
instead of
murdering
you can
love people
by giving
life
you can
adopt
you can
give for
the life
sustaining
needs of
other people
around you
you can
care for
life from
from the
womb to
the tomb
as they say
you can
promote life
and build it
up and
give to
organizations
that support
work against
for example
abortion
that's the
sixth commandment
the seventh
one
you shall
not commit
adultery
how can
you use
that as
a positive
way to
love your
neighbor
you can
be faithful
in your
singleness
you can
be faithful
in your
marriages
you can
be faithful
in loving
your neighbors
your children
your brother
your sister
verse 15
the
eighth
commandment
you shall
not steal
so instead
of stealing
you can
work hard
for six
days
you shall
work
the Lord
says
work hard
earn your
money
be industrious
and then
out of
that money
instead of
stealing
give people
your riches
the ninth
commandment
you shall
not bear
false witness
against your
neighbor
how can you
use that
as a
positive
commandment
instead of
using your
tongue to
cut people
down
you can
actually
use it
to build
them up
speak words
of grace
words of
love
words of
the gospel
to remind
them of
their standing
before God
even as
they suffer
from their
own sins
remind them
of the gospel
the riches
that they have
what about
the tenth
commandment
you shall
not covet
your neighbor's
house
your neighbor's
wife
his male
servant
female
servant
etc
instead of
wanting what
others have
you work
hard for
what you
need
and instead
of trying
to desire
to want
what others
have
you would
try to
add to
other people's
prosperity
would add
to people's
belongings
that's the
way to
love your
neighbor
and
the struggle
is though
a lot of
things get
in the way
of our
loving
our neighbors
sometimes
it's laziness
sometimes
it is
self-centeredness
we only think
about ourselves
sometimes
it's
fatigue
sometimes
we're just
busy
sometimes
it's
anger
bitterness
or
unforgiveness
but when
you know
that you
have been
loved
by God
and that
love actually
comes from
God
and that
love actually
gives you
God
you can
actually
love people
in a
risk-taking
way
if these
verses
are written
to give us
Christian
assurance
and they
are
they are
written
to show
that we
actually
belong to
God
if we
have
confessed
Jesus
Christ
then out
of that
confidence
we can
actually
be risk-taking
lovers
of people
we can
be risk-takers
we can
love people
with a love
that does
not
look for
reciprocity
may
these
verses
actually
remind you
of God's
love
the genesis
of God's
love
may they
remind you
of God's
gift
of that
love
his
himself
his
trinitarian
self
and may
that
cause you
to be
godly
to be
lovely
may God
add his
blessing to
the preaching
of his
word
let us
pray
may
may